Silent Disco, Societies Sunday and more… A fun packed Closed Weekend at Wycombe Abbey
16 January 2023 - All
Closed weekends offer the pupils an opportunity to come together as one community after time away, and this weekend did just that. After a day of activities, on Saturday night the girls were treated to a Silent Disco in Big School accompanied by a chocolate fountain, ice cream bar and pick’n’mix treats. There was a real sense of community as staff and pupils of all years danced, sang and laughed together throughout the evening. We asked Lara and Lola (UV), for a short account of the event.
“The silent disco… a night to remember! To begin, as people were walking in we enjoyed ‘buying’ some of the treats on offer with our tickets. Then, once we had enjoyed our chocolate fountain and ice cream, we took to the dance floor. As the night went on, the songs got better and better. It was so funny when you took off your headphones to see everyone singing along to nothing. When the teachers started dancing it was amazing to see the dance they had created, which we all followed along too. Near the end it was really nice when all the year groups got involved together, especially when the older girls began to dance with the UIIIs. Overall, it was a very exciting night, and we cannot wait for the next one!”
After a lively Saturday night, Sunday began with Holy Communion before Societies Sunday commenced. This was a new initiative to provide our thriving societies the opportunity to run workshops, hold talks and complete activities. There were over 30 different sessions running with most being led by pupils. Some of the society highlights included; the Engineering Society challenging everyone to build a bridge out of spaghetti and marshmallows, Hong Kong Society teaching calligraphy skills, Fem Soc designing and creating a mural, and the Drama Society demonstrating gory stage make-up. We also welcomed many external companies to deliver sessions which included a mobile planetarium, self defence classes, first aid workshops, African drumming and Indian dancing. The day was a huge success, and one that we will be looking to repeat next year. We asked some UIII pupils to give us an account of their day, read their comments below.
“I really enjoyed the team building activity where we drew on a piece of paper on someone’s back and the other person had to draw what they thought was being drawn on another piece of paper. I loved it because none of what we drew was anything similar to what the other person was actually trying to draw; it made us laugh really hard.” – Chrissie
“I really enjoyed the planetarium activity. We were inside the big grey ball, and it was really relaxing. I learnt a lot about the planets in our solar system and the galaxies. There was a projection on the wall which felt really realistic, like you were in space! I learnt about the sizes of the planets, how they were named, how they were discovered and the people who found them. Thank you for organising the activities!” – Olivia
“Thank you for such a wonderful day! I really enjoyed the craft club and team building activities, I had so much fun whilst doing them. It was such a lovely thing and I wish it didn’t have to end so quickly.” – Amelie
“Overall, I really loved Society Sunday. There was a good number of activities and time for each one so that we didn’t get too exhausted, but had enough time to have fun. It was just about as perfect as it can get, so thank you for arranging this to happen.” – Lara
“Swimming was really enjoyable. It was a chance to practise some of your swimming skills but also a time to relax and play with your friends. We got to get the floats, balls, noodles and sinkers out to use.” – Penney
I would like to thank all the Society Chairs who were involved in making the day such a success, the staff for their supervision and guidance, and all the pupils who attended. A wonderful start to the term!
Mrs Fiona Gee
Weekend Activities Coordinator